My Nonprofit Reviews

roneyc

Hi, my name is Catherine Roney, i'm from Michigan, and I am a freshman at the University of South Carolina. I'm new to the University and so excited to get started with a whole new chapter of my life. The reason I am writing this review though is not about me, it is about FIRST. I'm sure there is much information available from multiple sources about this organization, and I encourage you to look at some of their accomplishments, they are highly impressive. The reason for my review though is to let you know about the FIRST program, which I have tried to portray through my own personal experiences, and hopefully persuade you to choose FIRST as one of the top ten science and tech nonprofits.
Alright, here goes.
I was a previous FIRSTer. In case you don't know what that means, I was part of a robotics team my senior year of high school that competed in the FIRST competition. FIRST stands For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, it's a mouthful, isn't it? I don't know if you have ever been to a FIRST competition before, and if you have been, I hope you know what I mean when I say it is an experience you'll never forget.
I have to say, the energy present at any FIRST competition is invigorating. Those who go, get excited, and they might not even know what they are excited about in some cases. They will see teams work together to do their best in each match, and all the while have fun.
Yet, even though the energy level is fun and upbeat, there is still an air of comfort present. What do I mean by this? Well, I have personally experienced and witnessed changes in people when they get involved with FIRST. FIRST is not only a place for people to learn about science and technology and how to build robots, it is a place to learn about oneself. People who normally would be reserved and keep to themselves, open up, make friends, and figure out what they want to do in life.
This may all sound cliche but I could not be more sincere and honest with my words. The atmosphere surrounding all that FIRST is involved in is a fantastic learning environment not only for engineer majors, but multiple other majors as well. In fact, I was in charge of all other aspects needed to be done for FIRST to be a team when I was involved with FIRST. Submissions for FIRST awards require literacy and eloquence in writing, getting to know the community and the community to know the team is essential for a team's survival, and even business plans are made. Thus, anyone could join and benefit from being a part of FIRST.
There is so much more to FIRST and how influential and important it is to those involved. I do hope you will take what I have said into consideration when deciding upon the top ten science and tech nonprofits. I wish you all the best and thank you so much for your time.